ADVENT WEEK TWO
December 11, 2020
Thanksgiving in a Time of Chaos
Psalm 126
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Psalm 126:5
This communal “Song of Thanksgiving” celebrates the saving works of God both in the lives of those who have gathered for worship and in the lives of their ancestors in the faith. This particular type of psalm is often thought to have been spoken on the other side of a lament, when the community has made it safely through a time of suffering or trial.
The words of Psalm 126 seem to echo the prophetic promise delivered by Isaiah (see 43:16-21) to the Babylonian exiles. The “new thing” the exilic prophet had spoken about has been realized in the restored “fortunes of Zion.” When the people returned to Jerusalem, they found the city needed a great deal of restoration. Plowing their fields, once again, brought tears and laughter, as they remembered both the pain of exile and the joy of homecoming.
Could this psalm have been spoken by those who returned to Jerusalem after Cyrus issued the edict allowing those placed in exile by the Babylonians to go home? Perhaps, but they could also be the words of a community that has felt God’s presence in a multitude of other ways.
This is the beauty and enduring value of the Psalter. These prayers (even though grounded in a particular context) can become the words of the faithful in very different contexts. While we have voiced many laments in 2020, can we also be thankful for the Holy’s faithfulness in a time of chaos? In this season of advent, Psalm 126 can provide us with an opportunity to reflect on how the Divine presence has been known to us, even in a time of the COVID-19.
Dr. Lisa W. Davison
Johnnie Eargle Cadieux Professor of Hebrew Bible
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